It might be too late for United Airlines to recover from bad press

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Anyone who’s turned on the news or logged onto Twitter in the last week probably knows about United Airlines’ most recent controversy.

Passengers on a United flight from Chicago to Louisville, KY watched as an older Asian manwas violently removed from his seat to clear a spot for airline staff because the flight had been overbooked.

Though it’s not uncommon for airlines to overbook flights, it’s unusual to have someone removed using force.

A passenger stated that the airline offered $400 and a free hotel room to anyone who would volunteer to leave the plane, adding that when no one offered, the amount became $800.

When no passengers took United up on its offer, the airline randomly selected four passengers to get off of the plane. When the man informed airline staff he was a doctor and needed to get to the hospital the next day and refused to get off the plane, security staff dragged him out of his seat, causing the man to bleed from the mouth.

Many in the public relations world would call this a “PR nightmare.” As a strategic communications major, it’s easy for me to recognize what United’s first move towards redemption with the public should be – a quick, timely and sincere apology.

This is the opposite of what CEO Oscar Munoz first issued on April 10, just one day after the incident.

In short, Munoz’s apology was criticized for its awkward and impersonal wording.